TEHRAN: Iranian authorities have arrested members of a network linked to Israel who tried to sabotage a key nuclear enrichment plant, state media reported Monday.
The suspects “planned on sabotaging the Fordo facility and were arrested by the intelligence services of the Revolutionary Guards,” IRNA news agency said.
Fordo is an underground uranium enrichment facility located outside the central city of Qom, around 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Tehran.
IRNA did not specify the identity of the suspects or say how many were arrested.
But the agency said that Israeli intelligence agents tried “to approach” an employee at Fordo after “recruiting” one of his neighbors, in order to gain information about a centrifuge used at the facility.
Iran has repeatedly accused US or Israeli agents of spying on and attempting to sabotage its nuclear program, including by killing scientists.
In August 2012, saboteurs blew up power lines supplying Fordo.
Two years later, Iran said it had arrested several “spies” in Bushehr province, where the country’s sole nuclear plant is based.
In 2020, Tehran accused Israel of being responsible for the killing of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in an attack near Tehran.
The following year it claimed Israel was behind a “small explosion” that hit its Natanz uranium enrichment plant.
Monday’s allegations came on the eve of a visit to Moscow by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian for nuclear talks.
Negotiations in Vienna to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers had lately made progress, but they were halted after Russia earlier this month demanded guarantees that Western sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine would not damage its trade with Iran.
The 2105 deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
But the US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and imposed tough economic sanctions on different sectors, including oil exports.
Iran hit back with several actions, including resuming enrichment at Fordo.
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Iran foils ‘sabotage’ at nuclear enrichment plant: state media
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Iran foils ‘sabotage’ at nuclear enrichment plant: state media
- The agency said that Israeli intelligence agents tried “to approach” an employee at Fordo after “recruiting” one of his neighbors
Iran urges US to drop ‘excessive demands’ to reach deal
- Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States held their third round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva
- Both Iran and Oman cited progress after the talks, with technical discussions scheduled for Monday in Vienna
TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its “excessive demands,” after the two sides held talks in Geneva.
In a phone call with Egypt’s top diplomat Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said “success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands.”
Araghchi did not clarify what demands he was referring to, but Washington has pointed to Iran’s ballistic missile program and has repeatedly described Tehran’s uranium enrichment capability as a red line.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Tehran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
Also on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is “not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,” adding that Tehran “refuses” to discuss its ballistic missile program and “that’s a big problem.”
Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is part of its defensive capabilities and has ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States held their third round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, seeking to avert military escalation as Washington expands its military build-up in the region.
Both Iran and Oman cited progress after the talks, with technical discussions scheduled for Monday in Vienna ahead of a fourth round expected next week.
In a phone call with Egypt’s top diplomat Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said “success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands.”
Araghchi did not clarify what demands he was referring to, but Washington has pointed to Iran’s ballistic missile program and has repeatedly described Tehran’s uranium enrichment capability as a red line.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Tehran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
Also on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is “not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,” adding that Tehran “refuses” to discuss its ballistic missile program and “that’s a big problem.”
Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is part of its defensive capabilities and has ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States held their third round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, seeking to avert military escalation as Washington expands its military build-up in the region.
Both Iran and Oman cited progress after the talks, with technical discussions scheduled for Monday in Vienna ahead of a fourth round expected next week.
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